WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2!
Summary
Star Trek: Voyager’s Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) finally has a confirmed link to hisStar Trek: The Next Generationdoppelgänger, Nick Locarno.Robert Duncan McNeill made hisStar Trekdebut as Nick Locarno inTNGseason 5, episode 19, “The First Duty”. A member ofStarfleet Academy’s elite Nova Squadron, Locarno was involved in a scandalous cover-up that resulted in his expulsion. WhileLocarno was initially considered as the helmsman for the USS Voyager, the show’s producers instead created a more redeemable character in Tom Paris.
Tom Paris had also made mistakes, but unlikedisgraced cadet Nick Locarno, he strove to redeem himself throughoutStar Trek: Voyager’s seven seasons.Paris' work paid off, and he returned to the Alpha Quadrant a hero whenVoyagerended.Star Trek: Lower Decksemphasized the differences between Tom Paris and his doppelgänger by bringing back the Voyager helmsman as a hero, and Nova Squadron’s disgraced leader as a villain. Now,Star Trek: Prodigyseason 2 reveals that Tom Paris and Nick Locarno have something else in common besides their looks.
Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy Problem Is Finally Fixed After 26 Years
One of Star Trek’s most glaring problems with Starfleet Academy is finally rectified after 26 years by Star Trek: Prodigy’s heroic Starfleet hopefuls.
Star Trek: Voyager’s Tom Paris Has A Nova Squadron Link Like TNG’s Nick Locarno
“Mark 2 Nova Flyers, redesigned by Lieutenant Tom Paris himself”
It was never established whether Tom Paris was a Nova Squadron member at Starfleet Academy, but his older self now has a link with the elite squad. InStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, episode 15, “Ascension, Part I”, Nova Squadron are deployed to aid the USS Voyager-A and USS Protostar in their fight against Ascencia (Jameela Jamil). As the pilots race to their shuttles, Maj’el (Michaela Dietz) points out that they’reMark 2 Nova Flyers, designed by Tom Paris. This establishes Paris' link to Nova Squadron as a designer, which further solidifies his similarities to Nick Locarno.
Tom Paris was also the designer of the groundbreaking Delta Flyer inStar Trek: Voyager.
We know fromStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2 that Paris isn’t serving aboard the USS Voyager-A, which makes sense, as he and Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) have a daughter to raise.Prodigyseason 1 revealed that B’Elanna had a role in leading the construction of the USS Dauntless, while Tom is now designing flyers for Starfleet Academy. This means that Tom and B’Elanna are likely on Earth, rather than in deep space. Tom Paris may even be a Nova Squadron instructor, since he’s one ofStarfleet’s best pilots. Given his past, he’d be great at rooting out any potential Nick Locarnos.
Star Trek: Prodigy Redeemed Nova Squadron After Nick Locarno.
Lower Decks' Nova Fleet debacle can’t have helped their reputation.
Star Trek: Prodigyseason 2 takes place three years after the appearance of Nova Fleet and the death of Nick Locarno. While Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and the Cerritos crew were able to prevent Locarno from enacting his plans, his resurgence may have brought further shame to Nova Squadron. Thankfully,Prodigy’s Nova Squadron have shrugged off Nick Locarno’s scandals to become the very best of Starfleet. In fact, Maj’el and her teammates' desire to move past the stigma surrounding Nova Squadron could explain why they were so intent on finding out why Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and theProdigycrew were sneaking around.
Played by
Cadet Joshua Albert
N/A
Star Trek: Prodigyalso continues the redemption ofWesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton)for his role in the Josh Albert cover-up. Now that he’s a Traveler,Wesley has the huge responsibility of maintaining the fragile balance of the entireStar Trekmultiverse. It’s a far cry from the young and reckless Wesley Crusher who followed Nick Locarno’s lead in the Nova Squadron cover-up. With the death of Nick Locarno, and the redemption of Wesley Crusher andStar Trek: Voyager’s Tom Paris, Nova Squadron once again represents some of the very best officers that Starfleet has to offer.
